The Moon's Lesson

A long time ago, a young boy lived in fear. He was afraid of something that looms over us all, the unknown. The purest example of this fear, in the boy’s life, was darkness. He would stay up at night, shaking, as he imagined monsters and beasts peering at him through the dark room.

            He would light a candle to ensure himself that nothing was there and fell asleep peacefully. But, as the moon looked down upon this child, it frowned in disapproval. The moon was the world’s night-light and did not appreciate how the young boy substituted all of the moon’s illumination with a simple candle.

Throughout the nights, the moon continued it’s cycle and the child continued to light his candle. Frustrated, the moon came up with a plan. Once a month, the largest shadow is cast upon the moon. Hidden, it is given a chance to leave its post in the sky and roam about. So, the moon arranged to give the ignorant child a visit.

When the time came, like all the other nights, the boy lit his candle, casting a long shadow upon his wall. The moon, freed from its obligation, crept into the child’s room and took form of his shadow. He tossed and turned, nightmares contaminating his dreams.

He awoke with a fright, sitting up straight and examining his room for unwelcome visitors. Something was wrong, he wasn’t sure what, but as a chill shook his bones he noticed something unsettling. His shadow was no longer following the boy’s lead. He looked straight at it, shaking violently, but the shadow remained steady.

Petrified, the boy waited in suspense, certain that something terrible was going to happen. It was growing colder and colder, as he stared into the blank face of the black figure. His numb fingers clutched his blankets, pulling them up to his chest as if he were shielding himself from the shadow’s menacing presence, but he didn’t dare look away.

It was slowly taking up the room, elongating and broadening as it rose along the wall, pressing all warmth from the room. The child breathed heavily, steam escaping from his mouth. But, his gasps were muffled as if the shadow was even pressing sound itself from the room.

It continued to grow, almost reaching the ceiling. However, the light, out of all things, remained bright. Heat and sound continued to become more and more scarce, but the light shone on. The shadow rose, reaching the ceiling. It began to get closer and closer, colder and colder, quieter and quieter.

The boy tilted his head, for the figure was directly above him now. There were no eyes but he had the feeling that he was being examined closer than ever. Vulnerable, scared, and frozen, he watched in horror as a hand, dark as could be, extended from the wall, reaching. He tried to scream, but nothing issued from his mouth.

Finally, in his only attempt to escape, he pulled his covers over himself. Darkness, the light was extinguished. But, so it seemed that the light was not the only thing that exited the room. The boy felt warm again. He could hear his breathing.

He peaked out from under his covers and realized, there are no shadows in complete darkness. The figure was gone. Indeed, as the moon walked from the child’s house and resumed its place in the sky, it looked down on the boy with a smile, for he knew that there would be no more candles in that room for a very long time.